Chapter 108: 99 Tips for Driving a Sled

The next day, early in the morning, Liu Laosan came to pick them up with the sled.

Ming Dai had gathered all the mushrooms from the past few days—150 pounds in total, packed into three large baskets. Once everything was secured, she climbed onto the sled, expecting Zhou Sinian to sit beside her as usual.

But instead, Zhou Sinian walked around the sled and plopped down next to Liu Laosan.

Liu Laosan stiffened, his face twitching as he slowly turned to look at Ming Dai with a desperate plea in his eyes. He had been slapped by this madman before—he was terrified!

Ming Dai, just as confused, called out, “Zhou Sinian, why are you sitting there? Come back, we’re leaving!”

Zhou Sinian, however, was too busy staring intently at the horse’s rear. The poor animal’s legs trembled, and its tail twitched nervously under his gaze.

“I want to sit here; I can see better,” Zhou Sinian said with excitement.

Ming Dai frowned. “What exactly are you looking at? You’re going to stare a hole into that poor horse.”

The horse: Please have mercy!

Zhou Sinian looked at the reins in Liu Laosan’s hands and said eagerly, “Ming Dai, I’m going to learn to drive the sled. When I get the hang of it, I’ll take you with me.”

Ming Dai now understood that he wanted to learn to drive the sled from Liu Laosan.

Well, if he really had a dog, racing through the icy, snow-covered mountains on a sled was probably a lot more fun than watching lambs butt heads at home.

“Alright, but you can’t hit Grandpa Laosan. He still has to teach you.”

Liu Laosan smiled gratefully at Ming Dai, his two conspicuous missing teeth showing clearly.

Zhou Sinian turned around and impatiently looked at Liu Laosan, “I won’t hit you.”

Liu Laosan breathed a sigh of relief. Just as he was about to raise the whip, a light voice drifted by, “If I don’t learn, I’ll hit you.”

“Smack!”

With a shake of his hand, Liu Laosan accidentally whipped his own leg. Thankfully, he was dressed warmly.

For the rest of the ride, the sound of Liu Laosan’s wind-blown, toothless grin accompanied his relentless explanations of the 99 tips for sled driving a sled—without a single break.

Surprisingly, Zhou Sinian, who usually had little patience for people’s rambling, listened intently, nodding along and absorbing every word. Meanwhile, Ming Dai, despite her best efforts, found herself struggling to keep up with Liu Laosan’s rapid-fire teaching.

When they passed through the commune and sped toward the county town, the road was nearly empty. Occasionally, a returning sled would appear, moving swiftly.

Zhou Sinian interrupted Liu Laosan, who was still rambling on about how to avoid obstacles, and stretched out his hand toward him.

“Give it to me.”

Liu Laosan, without thinking, handed over the reins. By the time he realized what had happened, they were already in Zhou Sinian’s hands.

Liu Laosan: !!!!!

Ming Dai: ?????! Why did you give it to him?!

Liu Laosan: If I said I didn’t know, would you believe me?!!

Zhou Sinian, oblivious to the chaotic emotions around him, raised the whip and cracked it at the horse’s backside.

With a loud whinny, the horse surged forward, the sled flying behind it.

Ming Dai leaned back, clinging tightly to the vegetable baskets.

Liu Laosan grabbed the front of the sled, shaking and muttering quietly to himself, “Oh my goodness, we’re going to die this time. Liu Dazhu must remember, I don’t want to be buried next to my father. My dad hits people hard, and I’m sure he’ll hit ghosts just as hard!!”

Zhou Sinian, however, was exhilarated. He wasn’t satisfied with the horse’s speed and cracked the whip again, striking the horse’s rear.

The scenery blurred as they raced forward, and soon they were catching up to another sled.

The sled whipped past them, kicking up a flurry of snow.

“Spit, spit, spit! Which idiot is driving like this? Is this how sleds are supposed to be driven?!”

Ming Dai and the others couldn’t hear the curses behind them over the deafening wind.

As they neared the county town, Zhou Sinian finally slowed down, and the sled began to stabilize.

Still full of excitement, he turned around with a bright look in his eyes and said to Ming Dai, “Ming Dai! I want to play again when we go back!”

Ming Dai pushed the hair back from her face and seriously said to him, “No!”

Zhou Sinian wasn’t happy. “I drove really well!”

Ming Dai checked the vegetable baskets and their belongings. Fortunately, she had used plenty of newspaper to line them, so the vegetables hadn’t been jostled too much.

She shot him a sharp look. “That wasn’t riding the sled—that was driving the sled like a madman! Now hurry up and give the reins back to Grandpa Laosan! Look at him—his face is completely pale!”

Zhou Sinian pouted, glared at Liu Laosan, and saw him shrink his neck in fear. Only then did he hand the reins back.

When they arrived at the back door of the county government, Ming Dai was carrying one basket, and Zhou Sinian was holding two as they walked inside together.

Along the way, Zhou Sinian continued to argue for the right to drive the sled on the way back. “Ming Dai, I’m faster than him.”

Ming Dai gave him a side-eye. “It’s too fast, it’s dangerous. We still have things to carry back. What if they get ruined?”

Zhou Sinian sighed. “Alright, then I’ll go slower, but going slower isn’t as fun.”

Ming Dai comforted him, “When we go back, we’ll play with the dog sled. You can go faster with that.”

The dog wasn’t faster than the horse, right?

Right?

Zhou Sinian finally cheered up, carrying the basket as he followed her into the kitchen.

They handed the mushrooms over to Chef Zhou, explaining that they wouldn’t have as many in the future.

Chef Zhou understood and agreed. The amount they delivered this time was enough for a while, as mushrooms were truly expensive. He asked them to send more right before the holiday.

That worked best. Ming Dai took the signed note from Chef Zhou and went to collect the money.

The two of them, smiling happily, exited through the back door of the county government and found Liu Laosan, who had been guarding the sled.

“Grandpa Laosan, let’s go! We’re heading to the county train station!”

Seeing that Zhou Sinian didn’t sit next to him this time, Liu Laosan breathed a sigh of relief. He happily agreed and cracked the whip, urging the horse forward.

When they arrived near the county train station, Ming Dai asked Liu Laosan to wait outside while she and Zhou Sinian went in with the burlap sacks.

They waited for a while inside, and soon, a train, puffing out black smoke, rattled into the station.

The two of them waited on the side, letting the crowd thin out before heading toward the delivery spot.

A man in work clothes was already standing there, waiting.

Ming Dai stepped forward with Zhou Sinian. “Are you Uncle Sun?”

The middle-aged man looked up. “Yes, that’s me. You must be Ming Dai?”

His gaze briefly flickered to Zhou Sinian, pausing on the bright red scarf wrapped around his head.

Ming Dai smiled and nodded. “Uncle Sun, thank you for going through the trouble.”

Uncle Sun waved a hand dismissively. “No trouble at all. We’re family. Follow me.”

He led them to the unloading area, where two burlap sacks lay on the ground, partially concealed behind a cargo box.

Noticing the items Ming Dai and Zhou Sinian had brought along, Uncle Sun’s expression brightened—clearly pleased, as some of it was meant for him.

Without much conversation, they completed the exchange. Then, Uncle Sun handed Ming Dai an envelope.

“Alright, you two should head out. There are too many people around. I’ll have someone move this later. Once it arrives, your Aunt Niu will send you a letter.”

Ming Dai cheerfully nodded and pointed to a basket she had specially taken out, its contents covered with a cloth.

“Uncle Sun, this is my New Year’s gift for Aunt Niu. Please take it with you, so I don’t have to send it separately.”

Uncle Sun nodded. “Got it, no problem.”

“Then, we’ll be on our way!”

After bidding farewell, Zhou Sinian carried one of the burlap sacks on his shoulder and held the other in his hand as they found Liu Laosan outside.

Liu Laosan looked on with curiosity. Ming Dai explained that it was something sent by relatives.

She had just looked at the items, and Aunt Niu had been very thoughtful, wrapping everything carefully in packages from the post office.

With their tasks in the county town completed, the three of them went to a state-owned restaurant to buy buns. Ming Dai and Liu Laosan each had two, while Zhou Sinian ate six. After they finished, they happily headed home.

Once they got home, Ming Dai brought the items into her space to inspect them.

Inside, she found four enamel basins wrapped in cloth, two boxes of gloves, six enamel mugs, a box of soap, two sets of pillowcases, and several pairs of liberation shoes.

She carefully opened Aunt Niu’s letter and cross-checked the listed items. After calculating the value of what she had exchanged, everything seemed fair—neither side had gained nor lost too much.

Ming Dai suspected that Aunt Niu had likely added a few extra items out of goodwill before sealing the bag again.

Now, the next step was to hand these over to Aunt Huang and ask for her help in exchanging them with the villagers.